


Tragedy Is Not The End

by Jayxm



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Also Toph's great, Angst, Chief Of Police - Freeform, Consequences, Crime, Crime Fighting, Crimes & Criminals, Ebic, F/M, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Guilt, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Metalbending & Metalbenders, Original Character(s), Police, Pregnancy, Primarily Toph centric, Screw Legend Of Korra I'm doing it good, Self Confidence Issues, Slow Burn, Some comic cannons, The CSI Style Toph spin off we all want, Toph being a badass, When I say not LOK I mean don't expect the characters that ARE alive in LOK to survive, Yakone but better, Zuko's the firelord and it aint that good chief, everything sucks, sorry in advance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:14:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24673708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jayxm/pseuds/Jayxm
Summary: (Title is based on a song)The Crime-fighting Toph Beifong spinoff we all want and need. Following Toph Beifong through multiple cases and major life events. Lin Beifong and Suyin's childhoods are explored, Yakone's story is redone in length, and Sokka's adult life is explored. Consequences are heavier, and be warned - this story is darker. Not everything is as easy as they all would have liked. Even after the 100-year war, the world is still in turmoil. With Republic City fresh and still gaining its legs, Toph has to deal with the rising crime rates and massive criminal empires. When crisis strikes how will she handle it?This is a Toph centric story. Everyone else is still included and very important in the plot. I mean, what stakes are there if your best friends aren't included? Tokka is included later on.I'm going to treat this kinda like a TV series, going case by case and then re-evaluating from there how long this will be. I have two full case arcs plotted (which will be multi-chaptered) as of starting this.Plotted and developed with Cultmatt! Written by Jayxm
Relationships: Aang & Toph Beifong & Katara & Sokka & Suki & Zuko, Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Aang/Katara (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Lin Beifong & Sokka, Lin Beifong & Toph Beifong, Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Suki/Zuko (Avatar), Suyin Beifong & Sokka, Suyin Beifong & Toph Beifong, Toph Beifong & Katara, Toph Beifong & Sokka, Toph Beifong & Zuko, Toph Beifong/Sokka, Zuko/Honor
Comments: 17
Kudos: 41





	1. When These Walls Come Down They'll Crash

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first chapter in the first case! There's a lot of setup here. I'm going to try and update once a week for the time being!

The room is filled with all of the things she can’t see. The paperwork she can’t read scatters across the buckling mahogany desk. All of the art on the wall, the plaques, and newly placed luxuries mean nothing to her. Toph Beifong, Chief of police, can’t help but think her office is made for everyone but her. 

Her banded metal uniform blisters her skin with the late spring heat, and she tries to ignore the coldness in her heart. She wants to melt out of her way-too-formal chair and into the floor before anyone can make her stand. But of course, when the soft knock echoes inside, she sits up straight, because that’s what she’s supposed to do. 

“Toph - I uh… Chief Beifong?” Katara’s soft voice muffles from behind the door.

“Yeah, yeah. Come in. No need for formalities Sugar Queen.” Toph quickly arranges herself, adjusting the band in her frizzy hair. 

Katara’s footsteps are hesitant and despite the quiet Toph can feel her heart stuttering with force. She doesn’t bother to sit in the chairs before her desk, probably anticipating the brevity of the conversation. Toph considers if that’s good or bad, settling on apathy. 

“How are you doing Toph?” She whispers and Toph stiffens in her chair. She’s not about to be coddled, at work nonetheless. 

“I’m fine. I’m working.” She gestures to the paperwork she obviously can’t do. “Being the Chief of Police. You know- the works.” 

“That’s not what I meant-” Katara starts before Toph wildly waves to interrupt.

“I know what you _meant_ Katara. That’s my _answer_.” Katara frowns for no one but herself, shaking her head with a disgruntled sigh. 

“You should take the day off, Aang’s back in town and he’s taking care of the kids today. You and I could... maybe take a walk around town, get some lunch and take your mind off-”

“My mind is on nothing but work now Katara. Unlike you, I can’t just go and do whatever I please. I have a job to do.” She doesn’t mean for it to come out so harsh but the words are already out, and she sure as hell isn’t taking them back.

“Toph! You just found out you’re-” 

“Get out.” Toph snaps from her desk, ignoring the shuttering of the space bracelet against her uniform. 

Katara softens in place. She places her hand on the picture frame of faces Toph would never be able to recognize and sighs. 

“If you need me I’m here. We’re all here for you when you need us.” She turns and makes her way to the door, choosing to ignore the welling of tears in foggy eyes. 

Instead of the warm hall, however, Katara nearly runs headfirst into a lanky figure with long black braids running parallel down her back. Face-to-chest she looks up at her frantic green eyes. The girl completely ignores her, opting to shout to Toph from over her head.

“Chief Beifong! We’ve got a problem!” She shouts and Katara shimmies out of the way, disappearing down the hall. 

Toph shoots out of her chair, wiping away the tears before they get the chance to drop. Damned hormones. 

“Aanchi what is it?” She readies herself. 

“There’s been a security breach at the Embassy.” She says, turning her head down the hall.

“A breach? Details Aanchi, details.” Toph marches past her and out the door. She points to another figure in the hall. “Jing! Get your unit and meet me at the Embassy.” 

Side by side the two jog out of the building and into the chaotic streets. Half-constructed concrete buildings smothered with scaffolding line the streets for blocks. Republic city, in all its glory, seems to remain in this constantly unfinished state. Chaotic footsteps clatter around them as they move. Luckily, it’s not too far from the Embassy. In the construction of Republic City, Aang had insisted, repeating the same speech again and again: “ _ Republic City may be a city of unity, but we have to remain aware that not everyone has good intentions coming here.”  _ It had been repetitive, but unluckily, true. 

Nothing makes that more clear than when they round the corner, only to be met with shouts. The sturdy metal walls surrounding the Embassy should only be penetrable by the metal benders of the police force. The blown-in hole on the eastern defense leaves her chilled. There’s no smoke, no blast - no bomb. It’s clean, unbearably clean. 

A figure runs across the crowds of people. Their face shaded from view in a heavy green hood that’s way too hot for eighty-degree weather. Toph doesn’t need faces anyway. She rushes forward into the fray shouting at Aanchi - “ _ Cut them off! Cut them off!”  _ The footsteps are oddly familiar, she catches the way they teeter on the outsides of their feet with each step as she gets closer. 

“Police! Stop where you are!” She shouts after them, pushing past the crowd. 

They dart into a scaffolding ridden alley, knocking wooden braces and buckets behind them as they round the corner. Toph is faster, bending the soil before it up and leaping over the rubble. She’s so close, bending the rocks into a wall before the suspect, only for them to tear through it.  _ Earth bender.  _ Her hand snags the cloak, the fabric light and airy underhand. Her finger grazes something metal on the sleeve - a cufflink? The metal wire from her belt reaches out to snag around their wrists but slacken towards the ground. It catches her off guard and she trips forward in confusion. The dizzying upside-down feeling sends her stomach churning. The steps fade as she tries to regain her footing. 

Instead, her stomach flip flops, and her breakfast spills onto the brick and mortar wall. Her mind skims over Katara’s words.  _ Morning sickness, you should rest, nausea, dizziness.  _ She staggers to her feet in defiance, continuing the chase despite having no grasp on where the suspect fled. Cursing she kicks at the dirt and jogs back to the busy city streets, no teetering footsteps in range. Aanchi rushes to her side with a huff. 

“No?” She asks simply, and Toph shakes her head, mimicking the word softly back. 

No voice, no gender, no items, no nothing. She thinks over the footsteps meekly, but nothing comes to mind. 

“Did you see anything recognizable?” Toph asks, her voice teetering despite herself. Sight. She’s prided herself on never needing it and so every time she has to ask, it stings.

“No. Dark green cloak. That’s all I’ve got.” Aanchi turns her head towards the Embassy.

Toph steps towards the structure, ready to go in but her stomach flip-flops again. Throwing herself forward she clutches her stomach and fights down more vomit. The ground, usually so steady and familiar, warps and washes like water beneath her. 

“Chief are you alright?” Aanchi’s hand rests on her shoulder and Toph shrugs it off. 

“I’m fine.” She snipes, only to be dizzied again a few steps forward. Aanchi stops in front of her defiantly.

“Chief, we can handle this. You’re hurt.” Her voice is sharp. “No one’s been harmed, we can handle this.” She nods, affirming it to herself.

Toph’s mouth opens to speak, and then closes firmly. 

“I want a full briefing later.”  _ Yes, Chief.  _ “I want your unit  _ and _ Jing’s unit.”  _ Yes, Chief.  _ “And make that briefing  _ tonight _ .”  _ Of course Chief. _

Toph nods again with less confidence. Walking away, her stomach sinks. This time it’s not nausea or dizziness but it’s a queasiness that snakes into her chest and pulls at her throat. The rumble of footsteps behind her calls her back, but instead, she leans against the wall. She breathes in the musty fresh-set mortar and waits for the ground to solidify again. 

  
  


Katara is definitely a mother. When Toph, still clad in her thin metal uniform, stumbles into the living room, she winces at the force of her voice. It echoes with intensity and rage, and from what she’s heard, it's the same exact tone she uses when Bumi is being problematic. 

“What did you do? Toph! I told you to be careful! Are you  _ kidding  _ me? You’re going to be a mother for spirit’s sake!” Katara shouts, guiding her to the kitchen as Toph groans. The scent of vomit reeks from her mouth and her face contorts at the shouts. 

“I don’t think you shouting at me is going to help matters Sugar Queen!” Toph snips, sitting on the wooden barstool. 

“If it gets you to behave on the daily, it’s worth it!” Katara shakes her head, preparing a pot for tea on the stovetop. “Toph, if not for yourself, please for your child be care-” 

“Can you shut the  _ hell _ up about the thing growing inside me? I’ve got a whole city to worry about! All the time!” Toph grunts into the empty mug.

“Thing? Toph you can’t call them that!” Katara sighs as the teapot begins to sing. 

“It’s growing inside me. I'll call it whatever I want.” She dismisses, taking in a breath of chamomile steam. 

Katara sighs, pouring the tea into the mugs and taking a seat beside her. The muggy air that’s begun to steam up the windows grows heavier. Eggshell tension burdens each bated breath. They wait in stunned silence as the daylight angles sharply past the pastel blue curtains.

“Toph…” She starts and shifts to a softer, somber tone. “I know it’s hard, and only getting harder for you with-” Katara whispers and places her hand on the table.

“Stop it.” Toph snaps curtly, sharply inhaling and pulling her hand away.

“No, Toph you need to hear this,” Katara says. “I’m sorry Kanto left you-”

“I said stop it.” She 

They wait in stiff unending silence and Toph’s toes dig into the ridges in the tile floor. As if Aang had bent the air straight from her lungs she finds herself choking on nothing. There’s a single dry heave and then stillness. 

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Toph whispers and shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t care. He’s gone. He's gone I’m still here. I still have a life to live- a job to do.” 

“Toph. It’s okay to care. What he did was hurtful and cruel.” She hushes. “But you can’t forget... it’s not just you anymore.” 

Toph sips at the tea from the mug and lets the steam rise into her hair. She hesitates to respond, the weight pressing down on her shoulders and sinking her against the counter. Her shoulders roll forward, stern posture failing to a protective curl. 

“Zuko and the Kyoshi warriors will be here in _two_ days Katara.” It’s so uncommon for Toph to use her actual name anymore, it catches her off guard. “They’re going to be here in two days and the Embassy was just infiltrated. How the hell am I supposed to focus on this… child… that barely even exists… this child whose father left at the slightest whim of responsibility… how am I supposed to do that? How am I supposed to put - them - over the very _real_ and living people that need me?” 

“You can do both.” Katara whispers. “It’s the same way you go about protecting everyone else.” She rests her hand on top of Toph’s. “You just have to remember: they’re real, and they need you too.” 

“I’m not like you Katara.” She whispers harshly, but her voice is strained by hurt rather than rage. “I don’t know how to be a mom. I don’t have that… instinct… you have. I don’t know how to do this.” 

“And you really think  _ I _ do?” Katara laughs lightly. “It is a good front, isn’t it?” 

“What are you talking about?” Toph huffs in disbelief. 

“The motherly thing. Even when we were kids… when my mom died someone had to fill the role. It wasn’t instinct, and I sure didn’t ‘ _ know how to do this’.”  _ She smiles truly. “I still don’t Toph. I’m just doing the best I can. It’s not about knowing what to do or having an innate sense… it’s about love.” When Toph doesn’t respond for a few moments, Katara continues with a soft smile.

“I’m not going to try and tell you about how it will just come to you when you hold them in your arms or anything like that, but in the same way you would risk your health to take care of other, to take care of your friends - you can do that for your child.” The warm midday light blares into the steamed windows. “It doesn’t always come easy, sometimes it’s hard but you’ll have us every step of the way no matter what.” 

Toph smiles softly, glazed eyes gazing into the cup. “Thanks, Sugar Queen.” 

She stands up from the barstool and turns to the door, unconsciously resting her hand in the space between her stomach and her side. Just before she walks out the door, Katara stands upright to shout after her.

“Hey now - if it helps you and your service complex, remember taking care of yourself  _ is  _ taking care of someone else now!” Toph smiles and that and nods.

The streets don’t carry the weight of a thousand suns anymore and the ground beneath her is firm, unwavering. Somehow even with the mounting pressure of all these responsibilities, it doesn't weigh her down at all. Toph Beifong holds steadier than ever. 


	2. Falling, Falling, Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko comes to town with the Kyoshi warriors.

“Give me the briefing. In full. I don’t want _anything_ cut out.” Toph leans forward in her chair towards Aanchi and her pile of paperwork. The girl awkwardly looks up at her, anxiety quaking the papers in her hands. Toph can feel her shrink down, sliding down the seat and making herself small. Swiftly, she bends up the dirt floor, smacking the bottoms of Aanchi’s feet as she shoots up in surprise. She yelps, sitting up straight again and clearing her throat.

“Of course Chief. The eastern wall, made of iron, had a five-foot-wide circular hole in it. There was no residue or smoke. Upon entering the building and checking each individual there, there were no more and no fewer individuals there.” 

“You checked identification too correct? Not just the number?” Toph interrupts and Aanchi nods overenthusiastically in quick affirmation - _yes, chief_.

“The interior had no damage, although we did track the intruder’s trail into the fire nation Embassy. It’s on the eastern side so it was to be expected.” She says. “My unit examined the inside on the Fire Nation embassy and there was no damage, no nothing. They seemed to have entered the building and then turned around.” 

“Jing’s unit didn’t double-check?” Aanchi shrinks down in her seat again - _no chief._ “Why not?” 

“We had four metal benders check for damage and -”

“But you didn’t have them double-check?” 

“No, no, no Chief my unit double-checked but we didn’t send in Jing’s unit to-”

“Fine! Fine.” Toph sighs, relaxing her shoulders. She pauses to take a long inhale, her heart rate settling down as she breathes. “Why would they have entered just to turn around? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Personally, Jing and I have a running theory that they were a metal bender trying to show how easy it is to bypass our defenses - that it was simply a show of power, and furthermore, weakness on our end.” She says with a slight tremor. 

Aanchi sets the packet of the report down on the desk. Toph sits in silence for a few moments taking that in before leaning forward on her forearms. 

“It still doesn’t make sense.” Toph shakes her head. “If they wanted to show off their power why would they be so determined to stay anonymous?” 

“Maybe it’s less about their power and more about the embassy?” Aanchi sighs into the wooden desk, fiddling with a pen all the while. 

“Maybe,” Toph grumbles in agreement. But as she bites her lip, she doesn’t quite believe it.

The metal Fire Nation ship pulls into Yue bay just as dawn breaks. The sun pierces through the trees behind them as they wait patiently at the docks. Sun reflecting on the metal exterior as the ship falls against the wooden pier, Fire Lord Zuko waves from the bow enthusiastically. The black and gold pauldrons shimmer in the morning sun and he smiles lightly. The growing day is warm but less brutal than the boiling days prior. Still, it’s hot enough that the blaze of the fire benders training on deck glows brilliantly against the pale blue sky. 

“Chief! Councilmen! Good to see you!” Zuko shouts as he walks down to the dock with the green-and-yellow-clad Kyoshi warriors in tow. Suki scurries down behind him, holding up her skirt with a wide grin.

“Sokka! Toph! Katara! Aang! Been a while hasn’t it?” He grins, wrapping Aang into a hug. 

“Too long I’d say.” Aang smiles, his chin newly peppered with patches of brown uneven hair. Zuko scoffs in agreement. 

“The Embassy is all ready for you and the Council. It’s great to have you back Zuko.” Sokka chuckles, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Sokka, I heard you’re holding office now! It really is about time.” Suki forces a smirk from Zuko’s side. Sokka only nods his head with a low chortle in response. 

There’s an air of awkward tension between the two and Toph feels their heartbeats begin to race. With Suki hell-bent on staying at Zuko’s side in the fire nation with claims of _duty_ this and _duty_ that, the two had broken up a little over a year ago. Sokka wanted to stay close by with Katara and his niece and nephew, and if he was going anywhere it certainly wasn’t going to be the ashy hot-land. He’d been venting to Toph one night before the pair had broken up - hollering, _“I’m from the south pole! I’m water tribe! How does she expect me to stay in the sticky mc-sweaty town? I’d evaporate!”_ It hadn’t taken too long after that for the pair to split. Sokka had spent the night sniveling in her pitch-black apartment rambling about how they were all in _different places_ now - whatever that was supposed to mean. With them flinching and tensing at each other’s mere presence, it seems like even in the same place they don’t really get along. 

The morning breeze harshes over the dock in heavy breaths. It tastes of salt and biting ocean rot under the tongue. The flavor is sickeningly sweet and bitter all the same. Katara and Sokka seem to thrive in it as the rest wince at the intensity. Toph’s hair is windblown half out of the metal band as she grins crookedly and opens her arms wide.

“Great to _see_ you Sparky.” She jokes, and he welcomes the hug. 

“Toph.” He nods and smiles at her. “Well, I’m sure we can all settle for talking at the Embassy.” He motions to the wind. “Not really my kind of weather.” 

The rest of the Kyoshi warriors flood off the ship, forming a circle around them as they walk the city blocks to the Embassy. Zuko gazes up awe-filled. He takes note of each new building, each new statue, and each newly paved street. He points fondly at the Kyoshi bridge, and as they pass Central City Station he pauses before a statue of himself still wrapped in scaffolding. The Embassy wall has been put back in place, any signs of damage absent. It doesn’t skip his notice that the guards on the wall have more than tripled. He points again and leans to Toph.

“Is there a problem?” He whispers. 

“It’s been handled.” She states simply. “We’re simply ensuring everyone’s safety.” Zuko pauses and then nods. 

“We’re all very capable here, and I trust you. Thank you, Toph, for letting me know.” He huffs and walks forward to the Embassy gate. 

Inside is pristine marble. Sections are made in the model of the Fire Nation Royal Palace, with red and black interwoven. His hand skims over the gold lacing with a mutter of _beautiful_ as he walks in further. The dining hall is indistinguishable from the one at the palace and he gawks at that. 

“It’s gorgeous, last time I was here it was…”

“Ugly.” Sokka laughs and pours ale into his tankard before seating at the table. 

“Pathetic.” Toph scoffs. 

“ _Modest.”_ Katara chides and rolls her eyes. “Everything has to start from somewhere.”

“I guess you could say that.” Zuko chuckles and takes a sip of steaming tea. “It was pretty foul though.” 

Guards hold post steady by the door but smile and don’t argue as Zuko hands a bottle of ale to them. They hesitate to drink, especially without cups and on duty, but of course, it’s Fire Lord’s orders. Swiftly enough they’re taking long swigs and passing it around. 

They slowly start to come to rest around the sleek black table. Each one drinking up and falling into their usual patterns. A young man walks over with drinks and places them down with a genuine smile and the smell of strong ale wafts over them as they pour them down. One after the other, some drinking alcohol and some not, they continue on telling stories of lost time.

“So Aang, how are Avatar duties going? I hope better now that Republic City is settling into itself?” Zuko drinks and picks at a small appetizer mindlessly.

“Well I mean I haven’t had to fight any war-hungry imperialists or underground syndicates lately, so that’s… definitely an improvement.” He chuckles. ”The job’s never done though, people still always needing me and my help. Who knew being the Avatar could be hard work?” Aang flashes a wink to Zuko before donning a more solemn tone. “I guess you’d know a thing or two about that? Wouldn’t you _Fire Lord Zuko_?”

“Ah yeah, yeah. Who knew being Fire Lord would have so many boring tasks. Honestly?” He scoffs and his face drops a little but he tries to hold up his smile. “Azula would have hated it.” 

“Boring? Fire Lord?” Toph scoffs and swats her hand with feign dismissal. “Melon Lord is officially the better title.”

“Really though. After the seventh meeting about infrastructure repair priorities, you really start to question things.” He snorts into his cup.

“Not the first?” Sokka says and they all chuckle. 

“No. At first, you remember it’s your job, the seventh you ask _why_ you need to have so many goddamned infrastructure meetings.” Zuko spares a look to Toph, his eyebrow’s pulling inward.

“Kanto not with us tonight?” Zuko laughs into his cup and the room stills. All of the bustle and raucous stops. They stay unbearably quiet for ages. “Uh. Touchy subject?” He freezes. 

“No, it’s fine Zuko. You didn’t know.” Toph shrugs and sips at her glass of water. “He’s not around anymore.”

“Did he... pass?” Zuko hesitates, letting his glass drop to the table gently. 

“No.” 

There’s no further explanation. All talk quiets for a long uncomfortable pause. Instead, it is replaced with a low static. A vague white noise that crackles and hisses fills the room instead. If their conversation had been any louder, it would have overburdened the noise. They all glace sideways around the room. Their ears cock to place the noise, and this time as Toph places her feet square on the floor she feels it rumble. The low throbbing beat beneath the floor is so deep she almost doesn’t notice it.

“MOVE! AWAY FROM THE TABLE!” She shouts. “NOW!” 

They don’t question it, moving swiftly. Their trust in her trumps all, and so each chair gets shoved back under the table. They’re moving aimlessly before any other explanation is offered.

“Bomb!” She shouts and the metal floors move and shift around them, but not fast enough.

BANG

The sound is earsplitting as the ground pushes upward and out. Shrapnel flies and green flashes before Zuko’s eyes. Toph pulls the earth below into a wall that doesn’t make it all the way up in time. The shrapnel cuts into her hand, her face, and her leg. It cuts deep but she steadies herself in the smoke and rubble.

Toph coughs, ash coating her skin and blood trickling out of the cuts in her skin. She can feel the tremors underfoot. She hears the muddled voices calling for her past her ringing eardrums. 

_Toph?_ Sokka’s voice.

_The… Hell…_

_Spirits no…_

_Help._

_Can you help her?_

All the words blur together and she staggers forward into the dust. Everything, even in her feet, feels fuzzy. She reaches out to the muddled form, and her hand rests on a shoulder as he coughs.

 _Toph?_ Sokka sounds so far away.

_“Sokka?”_

Her hand clutches at the blue fabric of his shirt and he grounds her in place. His head turns over his shoulder to empty space and he shouts but it sounds like a whisper, _Zuko?_

_Yeah. Yeah, I’m alright!_

The dust is everywhere and her head dizzies and her stomach churns. The familiar feeling sends a shock through her and her hand shoots to her stomach protectively. No blood sticks to her fingertips and she sighs in relief, stepping forward. Then her stomach sinks at the reminder. Last time her stomach churned and she vomited she was outside this embassy. _My fault-_ Echoes in her head over and over. Her foot sticks to the ground and the air sucks out of her lungs. Blood - pools of it - coat the floor in tacky crimson. 

She notices the faint and fading heartbeat, fluttering in and out as she reaches in darkness. Her hand hits a wet shoulder - more blood. Bile rises and she fights the gag, moving closer.

“Katara we need help!” Toph yells but she can hear it as if someone else has shouted it. “Katara?” 

Katara staggers through the rubble towards her voice, each step unsteady and teetering as she nearly rolls her ankle. 

“What… happened?” She coughs and Toph touches her hand to the slumped figure. Her hand grazes the familiar golden headpiece of a Kyoshi warrior. 

“Katara Suki’s hurt,” Toph says simply, and the water bender blindly steps to her side. 

The water bender uncapped her water skin it rushes over gashes Toph can’t see. All she smells is blood: a sickly sweet smell that burns iron into the back of her throat. The water washes with the blood in silver waves and she groans beneath it. Pulsing in the ground, she can feel each heart rate and a warm empty silence. Hesitating, she steps towards the warm, quiet body. There’s no heartbeat in her chest. She reaches out, and she’s still - limp against the ripped up floor. Her throat catches. 

“Aang?” She shouts for the man, ears still ringing and senses faltering. 

“Aang!” She calls again and this time there’s a loud groan in response.

“I’m… al...right…” He drones and sharply cries out. “Oh... that’s... not good.” 

Toph hates that she can’t sense him, and her blown eardrums certainly aren’t doing her any favors. There’s so much pain around her and each breath is suffocatingly thick in her lungs. The room feels eerily empty despite knowing how full it was. She thinks about the dining ladies and the guards, and as she lets go of the golden headpiece, standing up. She fumbles around, lost. 

Katara’s cry pierces through her eardrums and she winces at the rawness, stepping into darkness. Aang. The Avatar. It’s hard to connect those two ideas in her head as she feels his weakening heartbeat and the rocks digging across his legs.

“Oh. dear.” He says simply and Katara bends her water to Aang. 

“Toph help me lift this up!” She shouts. Toph dizzily reaches out, unfocused and missing gaps in her senses to feel the whole rock, and bends it aside with a groan. 

Her senses begin to slip out from under her. The muffled noise of the room fades and the floor disconnects with her feet. She doesn’t feel it when her head thuds against the ground. Damn does she hate falling. 


	3. Water and Rust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up isn't as refreshing as she'd like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's been a while. The Last of Us Part II came out and I dove in headfirst. Updates will be a little sporadic.

When she wakes, her feet are up and the space around her is black. It’s times like these where she really remembers she’s blind. In the day-to-day, it’s easy enough to forget, it’s not like she knows what she’s missing. But completely unaware and in the dark - literally - it sticks out to her. The only noise she hears is faint and directionless footsteps. Her pulse spikes in her wrists and it pounds in her throat. Shooting upright in - bed? - her hands white-knuckle the sheets with a gasp.

“Hey, hey. You’re alright.” A soft female voice whispers, unfamiliar to Toph.

“Where am I? Who are you?” Toph snaps, smacking her side where the metal wire is still strapped to her hip. 

“You’re safe. We’re at the clinic. I’m healer Eska, a friend of Katara.” She rests her cool hand on Toph’s arm. “You suffered from some serious blunt force injury, Katara said you were pregnant?” 

Toph’s heart nearly stops and for a second she can’t seem to inhale or exhale, stuck in the middle. “ _ Were? _ ” It’s a near whisper and Eska stammers. 

“Oh! No, no no I’m sorry I shouldn’t have worded it like that. My  _ sincerest  _ apologies. You didn’t lose the baby. My… spirits… what a slip… that was  _ so _ unprofessional-” Eska rambles on and Toph lets out a long sigh of relief.

“Alright, alright Waterworks - it’s… it’s okay. I’m all good.” She thumbs her wrist and pulls her arm out of Eska’s grasp. Moving to sit up and place her feet on sweet, solid ground, she’s stopped. 

“Oh, dearie. You should stay in bed and rest. Your injuries were pretty substantial.” Eska frantically attempts to ease Toph back down only to be weakly swatted at.

“I’m  _ fine.  _ Where is everyone else? Are they all alright? Sokka, Aang, Katara, Zuko, Suki, the other Kyoshi warriors?” She hisses.

Toph grinds her teeth.  _ My fault.  _ Her feet may not be firm on the ground but from the weighty pause, she can tell Eska’s heart rate has spiked. The longer they drag on in silence the more her chest aches. Eska still can’t seem to grasp words. Her hand trembles on her shoulder and it strikes her dead- on. Eska’s  _ crying. _

“What?” Toph snaps, already anticipating.

“Suki is… in critical condition right now. We have our best healers working on her, but we don’t know if -” She chokes on her words. “There was a fatality… one of the Kyoshi warriors… Teya... ” 

Toph inhales sharply. Someone died. She may not have planted that bomb but in a way, she killed that girl. Suki might not make it either. She walked away from the embassy that day, that person slipped through her fingertips, she let the fresh-meat lily-livers check over the embassy two days before Zuko - the Fire Lord - arrived to stay. What was she  _ thinking?  _ If she had gone to investigate the Embassy she undoubtedly would have sensed the bomb beneath her feet. Right? If she had just…  _ been  _ there. Eska interrupts her thoughts, clearing her throat and grabbing something from the bedside table.

“You know what… I’ll take you to go see them, but you’ll let me wheel you over?” Eska moves around the bed as she speaks.

Toph’s mouth opens to make a blind joke, but she can’t. The crushing in her chest is too much, so she closes her mouth and nods gently. Eska guides her off the bed into a metal chair with convenient metal feet rests, the shape of the room blossoms around her and she exhales in relief.

Squeaky wheels groan as they wheel down the corridor. Groans and long cries echo in the hall with pain leaving their throats raw. She can feel the familiar form of Sokka grumbling in half-sleep as she is wheeled into the room.

“Sokka?” She whispers and his eyes blink open groggily.

He cracks a tight smile, slightly pained, as her unfocused eyes linger at the bed. Shifting, he stills and clutches his side, settling to gaze at her from his reclined place in bed. 

“Toph…” His brow cocks at the wheelchair. “Are you okay?” 

Eska smiles from behind her and nods gently to him. The relief allows him to sink into the bed comfortably. As faint as it is Toph can feel his heart rate spike and level out again. Recognizing this, she sighs with a small, shaky smirk. 

“She’s alright. It’s just precautionary.” 

Eska’s smile is so warm and wholesome Toph can feel it burning into her neck. All of the bridled tension abruptly rushes to her shoulders, and she can’t help but flinch away from the warm figure behind her. She doesn’t deserve this coddling comfort. She doesn’t deserve to be  _ okay.  _ Especially not with the form of Suki crumpled on the ground still in her head, and the smell of blood still in her nose.

“That’s good. How are you feeling?” She feels his heart beat jam up in his throat as something undoubtedly hurts him. He’s silent for a second but Eska doesn’t rush to his side to help. “Is the baby okay?” 

The question catches her off guard. First of all, how does he _know_ about that? She told Katara and… that was it. Only a month or two in and still not showing, she had kept that shit on LOCKDOWN. She didn’t want anyone to question her continuing work, targeting her on purpose, or the abundance of other things that could have gone wrong. _Including_ her friends becoming stupidly overprotective of her like they had Katara.   
Secondly, why does he react so viscerally to the idea? _If_ he knows, then he also probably knows it’s Kanto’s and that she’s barely into her pregnancy at all. Yeah, even she has to admit she’s gotten the twinges of investment that got her into this mess in the first place, but he must know that miscarriages do happen. Not like she wants that of course, but he just reacted so… viscerally. It’s not - It’s just - It’s not his? 

“Yeah, I’m okay. We’re okay.” His sigh of relief is audible and he nods vigorously.

“Great. That’s great.” He lets his head rest back on the pillow with a groan. “How’s everyone else?” 

Her throat ties itself up in knots.  _ He doesn’t know.  _ She thinks of the rage contorting his face at the words and the angry shouts: “ _ It’s YOUR fault!”  _ Suki and he may not be together or even on good terms for that matter, but there was no question he loved her. Maybe now that love is more platonic, but it’s still love, and it’s still her fault.

“There was a fatality… a Kyoshi warrior-” She starts and Sokka butts in. 

“Which one?” His throat chokes a little. 

He’d hate to admit it, but he hopes it’s someone else. He hopes it’s Ty Lee or Teya or Atau or  _ anyone  _ but Suki. With eyes closed, he tries to grasp at her image. It hits him he hasn’t looked at her,  _ really  _ looked at her, in a long time. Her features are all muddled together in his memory and he can’t picture her clearly without the Kyoshi warrior war paint. 

“Teya.” Eska swallows down the sadness and has a moment of silence. “Suki is in critical condition but she’s okay.”

“What happened?” He croaks and shakes his head.

“Someone planted a bomb in the Embassy, beneath the dining hall. From what your officers told me, Master Toph, it was probably an assassination attempt on Zuko.” She says. “Suki jumped in front of Zuko. She saved his life.” 

Sokka nods to himself, slowly processing the words in seeming disbelief. She expects him to say something, ask something, but he doesn’t. He sits in endless quiet, churning the pain in his throat. She holds her breath endlessly waiting for his recoil, but it doesn’t come. 

“Can you give me a minute?” He whispers and Eska nods.

“You need your rest anyway.” She smiles, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the room. “Maybe we’ll swing on by later if you’re feeling better.” 

“Yeah. Maybe.” Sokka hushes and sinks into bed.

It’s almost a week later when everyone is finally out of the clinic. Eska had healed all of Toph’s major injuries and although Eska had insisted Toph stay a few more days to make sure, Toph wasn’t about to abandon her officers for any longer than she had to. Eska had been visibly upset by this, murmuring the same old same old “ _ well, I can’t stop you, but I don’t recommend it...”  _ that grated her ears. 

The streets feel different now as she walks. Her ears are perked up and she’s walks like the concrete is eggshells. She’s inexplicably on edge. Every bone in her body sharpens in pins and needles, and every movement is way too prevalent to her. She soaks everything up in a capillary action of awareness, jumping at the slightest harsh sound.

The scuff of footsteps perks up her ears and her throat bobs harshly. They teeter familiarly on edge and move towards her quickly. 

“Sifu Toph!” A girl’s voice calls, and she runs forward with a wave. 

Toph nearly jumps out of her skin, and then hesitates.

“Daiyu?” 

Daiyu grins and bows swiftly, seemingly ignoring the cross look Toph doesn’t know how to properly hide. Her ankles tweak, having been broken and fractured years ago by fire nation raiders. 

“It’s been too long Sifu!” Daiyu’s dark black braids bounce as she forcefully nods her head.

“Toph. Call me Toph. You aren’t my pupil anymore.” She snips. “You graduated two years ago.”

“Once a student always a student. Right Sifu?” Daiyu’s grin shifts and Toph’s brow furrows. 

“Right.” Toph clicks her tongue. “What have you been doing recently Rusty?” 

The nickname had been aptly pinned on her during her first day at Beifong Metal bending academy. Not only did the girl have creaky messed up ankles and seemed to snap at anyone and everything, but the swordswoman had been inducted after folding one of her damaged blades in half in a fit of rage.

“Traveling mostly.” Truth.

“Where?”

“Fire Nation.” Truth. 

“What have you been doing there?” 

“Eh… investigating.” Truth.

“For what?”

“Uhh.” Daiyu shrugs. “Nothing important.” Lie. “I’ve actually got to get going. Got a client down on the east end.”

Toph simmers in place and waits, weighing her options, but she’s already trotting off. She doesn’t stop her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy it!! Tomorrow is actually my birthday (The 13th)!!!! I'm turning 17 so hell yeah!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this! I already have chapter two ready but muahaha we're trying to be efficient about updating for this one yall.


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